This invention relates in general to animal agriculture operations and in particular to the control of ammonia emissions from these operations.
In animal agriculture operations, ammonia gas is generated as animal wastes break down. The ammonia gas can be harmful to the health and growth rate of animals, and ammonia emissions to the atmosphere are an environmental concern. To address these problems, different methods have been used to control ammonia emissions from animal agriculture operations.
One method of controlling ammonia emissions is to apply a chemical to the animal waste. For example, in the production of broiler chickens it is known to apply a chemical such as sodium bisulfate, aluminum sulfate, iron sulfate or sulfuric acid to the litter on the floor of a chicken house. When ammonia from the chicken waste comes into contact with the chemical it reacts and is changed into solid ammonium sulfate and as a result it is not emitted into the air as gaseous ammonia.
In a typical broiler chicken operation, the chemical is applied on the floor of the chicken house before the chickens are introduced into the house. This application will normally control ammonia emissions for the first two weeks of growth of the chickens. The period of growth of the chickens, from the time of their birth to the time at which they are large enough to be collected for meat, is called the “grow out” and it is about six weeks for broiler chickens. The chickens cover the entire floor of the chicken house, and as they grow they become bigger and more packed together. After the chickens are in the house, there is currently no practical means of applying a chemical to the floor to control ammonia. Consequently, after the first two weeks of the grow out, ammonia emissions from the chicken waste resume and continue throughout the remainder of the grow out.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an apparatus and a method for controlling ammonia emissions from animal agriculture operations during both the early part and the late part of the grow out of the animals.